The Rending
by Reckoners
Summary: David begins developing his own epic powers after his fight with Steelheart. They change him, and the boy they once knew is gone, replaced by Omega: the end. AU, takes place before Firefight. May or may not contain death and other M rated stuff later.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a quick little story that I plan to go far with. This is a newly made category so this is going to be pretty short for a while. Please review!**

David had a blistering head ache. Ever since the whole episode with Megan had gone down, a piercing pain had begun in the middle of his head.

He stumbled over to Prof. The man looked up as the boy grabbed his head. "Do you have any pain reliever?" Prof frowned, and his eyes became dark. "Where exactly is the pain?"

David frowned, he had expected the man to just give him the pills, and just let him go. The flash of uncertainty in his eyes faded as he dug into his pocket and produced 2 little white pills. "Here, take these." He dumped them in David's hand and immediately got back to his work, frowning deeper.

Tia popped her head into the steel chamber, "Hey, we've got news." The older man stood up abruptly, and swept out of the room without a single glance back.

David watched and staggered back to his 'bedroom'. The pain was still there, but he had no tolerance for the pain. The boy groaned flopped back onto his bed, wincing as a pang of pain went through his head. This sucked.

The next day came quickly, and there was no headache. It was if the day before hadn't happened. David walked sleepily through the steel doorway, rubbing his eyes. Even in the catacombs of Newcago, he still managed to sleep later than anyone else.

It seemed like no-one was there, but David heard a voice, "_Take this. It's yours." _He stood there, confused before looking around to see if anyone was there. He tried to speak back, _"What?" _The voice was silent, but then spoke up. _"Say yes." _And he did.

Suddenly, he was struck by a blinding pain in his temples; he closed his eyes as if trying to stop it. As soon as it had come, it stopped. He opened his eyes again, and everything was sharper. David frowned, and leaned against the serrated edge of the doorway. He didn't even feel the little jolt of pain it usually sent him, but he didn't notice.

Normally, he would be doing an assignment given to him by either Tia or Prof, but today was busier than usual. Abraham rushed through the steel hallways, muttering under his breath. David walked slowly down the halls, and took a sharp left, leading him down a hall where the others normally resided.

As he walked in to the room, Prof looked up without the hesitation he had had the day before. "What have you heard of Babylon?" The name was familiar, and came with the name 'Regalia', who no doubt ruled over the land. He answered truthfully. "It is what used to be Manhattan, and is now ruled by Regalia." The man nodded a bit and handed a folder to him. "We'll be targeting her next." David nodded and went through the papers after heading back to his quarters.

She was a high epic, with water manipulation. He didn't really know what else, as he had focused on the ones that could possibly harm him in any way or form, or possibly take over Newcago. The papers held a few details, and David was a little mad that they hadn't decided to give him the important ones. He knew that Tia was most likely using them, looking up to see what exactly they were facing.

He looked up as someone entered the room. Prof had walked right in, with his infamous black coat following. "In case you haven't noticed, we'll be going to Babylon." He nodded at the papers David held. "Get ready. We'll be leaving at nightfall." David's temper boiled up again, but he pushed it down. "Fine." Prof walked out, glancing at him with what could only be called worry.

**Again, this is TINY. At the least, every chapter will be 1,000+ words. This is just a prologue. Expect another chapter by tomorrow, maybe today if I get inspired. I still have to think about how David's powers will effect him, and what his weakness will be. Yes, he will be a high epic. Now, I can't really say anything else, can I? Review, Follow, and Favorite!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes. Another chapter. Even if you don't really know what this category is, please just review how it's going. Every single one will be appreciated. Thank you!**

David was done with his bag, and the sun was almost setting. His thoughts were interrupted by a cold wind. In the distance he could see a storm headed their way. It would be huge. He turned away and watched Prof and Tia walk up to him. "We're going to leave pretty soon…" Tia looked at the clouds, and her eyes reflected her worry. "We might have to stop though."

Prof looked stiffly at David. "You should say bye, we probably won't see them for another month or two." The two adults left and started messing with the vehicle, and David started towards Cody and Abraham, who were checking on some of the workers. The gravel at his feet began to get darker, and then he could feel the drizzle. They would need to leave soon.

He approached the two, and Abraham was the first to look up from what they were studying. "We're leaving pretty soon." He paused and looked at the sky, which was darkening rapidly. "Keep the place clean." The dark skinned man smiled a little bit and stated that they would before he stuck out his hand. David shook it and said a quick good-bye to Cody, the hurried towards the other two.

A tarp was placed over the designated place for him. Prof was discussing something with Tia, and the stopped as soon as David walked up. He stood quietly, as Prof explained what would most likely happen. He drifted off, and focused on a tiny rock, tuning Prof out. He stared at it, and could feel a small pressure building inside of it. The pebble exploded with not a single sound. David stared in shock, before looking back at Prof. He quickly masked any emotion besides indifference on his face.

The man finished and looked expectedly at David. He turned red, and stumbled across the next words, "I, Um… wasn't listening." Prof frowned, and sighed. "Just get in the back with your bag." David nodded as the others gave instructions to the people that were left. The adults got in and started the truck. He didn't know why they would go during the night, as the flood lights would do nothing but draw attention to them. David glanced at Prof, who was in the driver's seat. He had on goggles, and David realized that they were UV.

Almost as soon as they started, the rain started coming down in sheets. The tarp did manage to keep most of it off, but the water was pooling in front of him. Tia looked back at him. "Sorry…" David shrugged. He could deal with it, and the water didn't really bother him.

Soon, there was too much water on the cracked and weedy road, and Prof had to pull over. They stood by the side of the road, watching the water run down the road. Prof ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Hopefully it'll be over by tomorrow." He turned to Tia and David. Tia was shivering, but if anything David looked stronger. "Get some rest, we'll continue tomorrow." David turned away and opened up his bag, locating the tent. This night would be long.

He woke up the next morning to Calamity and the sun up and blazing. The storm had left the sky clear, but there was a certain sharpness to the air. Prof and Tia were already up, and seemingly waiting for him. David sat bolt right up. "Why didn't you wake me?!" Tia rolled her eyes. "You needed to sleep, besides, we're not particularly in a hurry." David scowled but didn't say anything.

Everything was loaded into the truck and they started off again. Every once in a while Prof would drive through a pothole in the road and send David flying up. Honestly, it was starting to get on his nerves. The road was getting thinner, and it was lined with trees. The only thing he could do to pass the time was to study the road.

Night started to fall and everything got eerie. The forest around them was quiet, devoid of any sounds that he thought you were supposed to hear. Tia and Prof were long past talking, both of them stared intensely at the road ahead. Occasionally he could hear howls, and every time he heard one, it seemed closer. He gripped his gun tighter, glaring into the woods.

He froze. Running through the trees, was a girl. She easily ran alongside the road, and a pack of wolves were at her heels. Prof braked and David went almost flying out. At once, all Prof and David were out and had weapons ready. The girl stepped towards them. She was unnaturally pale, with brown hair that hung past her shoulder. It was tangled. Her eyes were startling silver. She opened her mouth and spoke, "I will not hurt you."

David still didn't trust her. Prof lowered his weapon and studied her. "Who ae you?" The girl frowned. "The animals call me Moon Shadow. To you, call me Astrid." Prof nodded slowly. "You are an epic, correct?'

Astrid shrugged. "If that's what you call us." She stepped closer. "I can talk with animals. I can gain the abilities of them too."

Prof nodded at her. "What do you need from us?" Astrid looked at him closely. "I am here to tell you to watch. At any time one of you may snap." The brunette walked back, not saying anything.

Prof watched her retreating figure, and slowly shook his head before looking at David. "Do you know what she means?" David had a small idea, but said no. They both headed back to the car.

For the rest of the night, nothing happened. They passed a few towns that still had fires raging through it, but for the most everything was peaceful. Tia and Prof whispered back and forth, exchanging ideas of what Astrid might have meant.

David didn't exactly understand why Prof hadn't done anything. He would have thought that the girl would have attacked but, if anything, she didn't even seem to care. Everything about her was off. She only had eyes for him, and it felt like she was trying to burn a hole into him with her eyes. Knowing epics, she probably could have.

Prof slowed down, and David could tell they were near some large body of water. They parked the car and knocked on a shed door. It opened quickly to a girl, who looked at him in awe. "Steelslayer."

**And so it ends! I would have written more, but this seemed to be a good place to stop. This is going to be updated weekly, at the least. Please review, follow, and favorite!**

_Advice from Reckoners: Never abandon someone during a time of need._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, or mostly anything anything else in this chapter. Last time I checked, I'm not Brandon Sanderson…**

**So how do you like it so far? I will try and update every day, and at the least have every chapter 1,500 words+. David will meet Megan a bit sooner than in Firefight, and he will… go dark, I guess. Thanks for even just reading this! It means a lot.**

David stood to the side, unsure of what to do. The lights were still dark, so he had no idea who or what had said that. He unslung his rifle quickly. Was this a trap? Did Prof have a plan for this? A million thoughts were running through head as the lights came on. Blinded, he stumbled back into something large. He heard a feminine voice.

"Oops! Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry! Too bright." David blinked until he could make out what was there. He was surrounded by tool covered wooden benches, including a vehicle like theirs. The door clicked behind them.

A tall Hispanic woman in her early thirties had shut it. She had angular features and dark hair with one lock in the front dyed purple. She wore a red shirt and blazer, with a black necktie.

"Mizzy!" She snapped. "The point of dimming the lights was to _avoid _alerting the entire neighborhood this building has power. It doesn't exactly work with the door wide open."

"Sorry!" The voice that had said 'steelslayer' echoed. She glanced at David. "Put that down before you hurt someone." She strode past me and gave Prof a sloppy salute. He extended a hand. "Val."

"Jon. I didn't expect you back so soon." Prof spoke back, "Considering what happened, I figured you'd do something that could cost us." Val spoke coldly, "Here to stop me, sir?"

"Sparks no," Prof said. "I'm here to help." Val's expression cracked, a hint of a smile tugged at her lips. She gestured to me. "That's Steelslayer?"

"Yes." Prof said as David stepped from his place. "Excellent reflexes," Val said, looking him up and down. "Terrible fashion sense. Mizzy, where the hell are you?"

"Sorry!" that voice from before came again, followed by numerous clanks. "Coming!" David stepped next to Tia. A young black woman climbed down, a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. She hit the ground and jogged towards them, with a bounce in her step. She wore jeans and a short jacket with a tight white t-shirt underneath. She had her hair braided in cornrows on the top, and it exploded into a frizzy puff behind her head.

Tia and Prof looked at Val; Tia cocked an eyebrow. "Mizzy is quite capable," Val ssaid. "She's just a little…" As Mizzy scuttled towards them, she tried to duck underneath the front of a half-assembled jeep. However, the rifle over her shoulders stuck up too high and it clanged against the front of the jeep. David looked at her with reproach. She was maybe 17 or so, and had round features and creamy brow skin. She ran over to Prof.

"Where's Exel?" Tia asked. "Watching the boat." Val replied. Prof nodded and pointed at Val. "David, meet Valentine, leader of this cell of the Reckoners. She and hers have been living in Babylon Restored for the last two years, doing reconnaissance on Regalia. You obey orders from her as if they come from me. Understand?"

David frowned a bit but nodded. Prof gestured towards Mizzy. "And this is Missouri Williams, I assume?" Mizzy pumped her head up and down. "excited to meet you, sir!" She seemed excited about everything. "I'm the team's new sniper. Before, I did repairs and equipment, and I have experience with demolitions. I'm training to run point, sir!"

"Like hell you are," Val said. "She's good with a rifle, Prof. Sam had kinda taken her under his wing…" Sam was probably the person they had lost, looking at Prof's stiff expression and Tia's look of sorrow. He guessed that Sam had been their point man, the one who shouldered the most danger- interacting with epics and drawing them into traps.

It was the job David did in our team. The job Megan had done before she left.

"Glad to have you, Mizzy." Prof said, voice even. David could sense a heavy dose of skepticism in that tone. "Go pull our jeep into the garage David, go with her, scope out just in case."

He sighed but followed Mizzy out the side door, turning off the lights on the way. That left the others in the dark, in order to make the opening and closing doors less noticeable. He got out his new rifle, extending the night vision scope and walking with Mizzy to the Jeep. Behind them, the garage doors opened, making almost no noise at all. Inside, by the starlight, he saw Tia, Prof, and Val talking in hushed tones.

**(Changing to David's point of view. It's easier.)**

"Sparks," Mizzy said softly. "he's _intimidating._"

"Who?" I asked. "Prof?" "Yeeaah," She said, reaching the jeep. "Wow. Phaedrus himself. I didn't make too much a fool of myself, did I?"

A little voice in the back of my head nagged that she was dangerous, but I tuned it out. "Um, no?" "Good. She stared at Prof in the darkness and frowned. She turned to me and stuck out a hand. "I'm Mizzy." "They _just_ introduced us." "I know." She said. "But I didn't get to introduce myself. You're David Charleston, that guy who killed Steelheart." I took her hand hesitantly. "I am."

"You," she said softly. "are _awesome._ Sparks, two heroes in one day…" She hopped into the jeep, starting it up. I did a sweep of the area with my rifle, checking to see if anyone had noticed us. I didn't notice anything so I backed into the garage, following the jeep Mizzy drove. I tried not to pay attention to the fact that Prof had asked her to drive it, and not me. I wondered a bit if he had seen my little trick with the stone. I soon pushed that thought down and tried to forget it, as it was something that would not end up good.

The little voice spoke again. _Why hide it, David? You are stronger than them. __**Prove it.**_ I suddenly felt an urge to let loose all my bad thoughts. What form it would take, I wasn't sure.

I noticed Mizzy lowering the door and locking up the place. Prof, Tia and Val ended their whispered conversation, then Val led us through the back of the shop, down into a tunnel under the steets. I expected to be walking for a while, but we didn't- only a few minutes later she led us up again, then through a trapdoor to the outside.

Here, water lapped at a dock, and a wide river led out of the city and into a dark bay. The water seemed to whisper to me, making me feel as if I could do anything. It felt good, but a darkness hung over it. I could guess where we were. This was the Hudson River, and that was old Manhattan over there- Babylon Restored. It looked like they had electricity, although the lights were much more colorful and dim.

Ahead of us, a flashlight flicked on, illuminating a medium-sized motorboat with an enormous man seated in the back, wearing about 5 shirts worth of red flannel. Bearded and curly haired, he waved with a smile.

There was something about him that I didn't like. I noticed the water get a bit choppy at my emotion, but I pushed it down as nothing but the wind.

He stood up as Tia and Prof got on the boat. He shook hands with them and smiled at me. "Exel," The man said softly. He paused briefly between the letters, as if saying 'X.L.' Seeing how big he was, I didn't think much of it. I wondered what part of the team he's fulfill. "You're Steelslayer?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking his hand. I hoped that my embarrassment didn't show. "You don't really have to call me that though."

"It's an honor." Exel said to me, stepping back." I climbed into the boat, not bothering to notice the boat rocking. Mizzy then climbed on after me.

"Is that all, sir?" Exel asked once we were all on. "This is it." Prof answered him. Val took the seat at the back next to the small outboard motor. She started it with a small spluttering sound, and we pulled away into the dark and choppy water. I looked into the water below. All of that darkness beneath us.

"So," Val said as she steered along. "Have you prepped the new guy?" I scowled at being called that.

"No," Prof said.

"Now might be a good time, considering…" Val nodded towards the water.

Prof turned towards me, his form mostly hidden in shadows. "The one who rules this city," he said to me. "Is a hydromancer."

I nodded. "Rega-" I began.

"Don't say her name," Prof interrupted. "What do you know of her abilities?"

"Well," I said. "Supposedly she can send out a projection of herself, so when you see her, it's probably a projection. She also has portfolio of a standard water epic, she can raise and lower water, control it with her mind, that sort of thing."

"She can also see out of any open surface of water," Prof said. "And can hear anything spoken near the water. Do you know any idea of the ramifications of that?"

I glanced at the water. "Right."

"At any time," Exel said from nearby. "She could be watching us. We have to work under that assumption."

"Anyway," Prof said. "Her powers are extensive- but they don't make it easy for her to scan and find things randomly. Something has to draw her attention."

"It's why we avoid saying her name," Val added from the back of the boat. "Unless we're whispering over mobile network."

Prof tapped his earpiece. I turned on my mobile, with voice amplification, and wirelessly connected it to my earpiece.

"Like this." Prof whispered, but in my ear it came out loud and clear. I nodded.

"Right now," He continued. "We are in her power. We float across the open sea. If she knew we were here, she could drag this ship into the depths. In this city, like most others, the Reckoners can exist because we are careful, quiet, and hidden. Don't let the way we've been acting in Newcago make you sloppy here. Understood?"

"Yeah." I said, whispering like he did. I trusted that the sensors on my earpiece would pick up my voice and transmit it.

Prof turned towards the city and turned silent. We passed something in the water, a large, towering length of steel. I frowned. What was that, and why had it been built into the middle of the river like this? There was another in the distance.

I realized they were the tops of a suspension bridge's towers, spotting the wires trailing into the water. The entire bridge had been sunk.

Or… the water had risen. "She… sunk the city." I whispered.

"Yes." Prof said. I turned and looked at the water we'd crossed. Now I could see a subtle slope to the water. It bulged here, and we had to move _up_ at an incline to reach Babilar, as if we were climbing a hill of water. How bizarre. As we drew closer to the city itself, I saw that it was indeed sunken. Skyscrapers rose like stone sentries from the waters, the streets having become waterways.

As I took in the strange sight, I realized something even odder. The glowing lights I had seen on our approach didn't come out of the windows of the skyscrapers; they came from _the walls_ of them. Light shown in patches, bright and fluorescent, like the animation from an emergency glowstick.

Glowing paint? That was what it seemed to be. I held to the side of the boat, frowning. This was _not_ what I had expected. "Where are they getting their electricity?" I asked over the line.

"They aren't," Val whispering, but fully audible to me. "There's no electricity in the city other than in ou own hidden base.'

"But the lights! How do they work?"

Suddenly the sides of our boat began to glow a light blue color. I looked down. It came on slowly, but got stronger as it went. Blue… _paint._ The side of the boat had been spraypainted. That was what all the buildings had, though it varied in colors and sizes. It glowed vibrantly, like colored moss.

"How do they work? I wish I knew." Val sighed.

We sailed past two large buildings. Their tops glowed and I barely made out spraypainted boards rimming the roof. It shown with a vibrant rainbow of colors.

"Welcome to Babylon restored, the world's greatest enigma."

**Wow, that was most likely the longest thing I've ever written… I have a lot planned for this! And don't worry, David will be showing his powers next chapter. I admit that most of it is copied from Firefight, but it was necessary. I should update on Sunday! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yes. Another chapter… This is mostly just going to set up for the next chappie, which will be up by Tuesday. So yeah, expect at least 1,500 words from this chapter and the next. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Steelheart or Firefight. I am not Brandon Sanderson.**

Val cut the motor and handed oars to me, Mizzy, and Exel, keeping one for herself. The four of us took up rowing duty. We floated out from between the two taller buildings and approached a series of much lower structures, their tops only a few feet above the water.

They might have once been small apartment buildings, now mostly submerged. The people now lived in tents on top of the. The tents glowed vibrantly with the spraypaint that marked it. I even saw some glowing under the water- graffiti that had been flooded over. So old spraypaint glowed as well as the newer marks at the top.

The city was so _alive_. Lines strung between poles hung with drying clothing. Children sat on the sides of the lowest buildings, kicking their legs in the water. I man rowed a small barge past us- it looked like it was constructed of a bunch of wooden doors put together. Each had been spraypainted different colors.

After the lonely, empty trip here I was shocked by the sudden sense of overwhelming activity. So many people. Thousands of them in little villages on the roofs of sunken buildings. I realized that these tents and shanties weren't just a temporary place to stay. It was all too neat, and many of the roofs had nice, well made rope bridges strung between them. I was willing to say it looked like they had been living like this for a long time.

"Should we be out in the open like this?" I asked, uncomfortable.

"Babilar is a busy city," Prof said. "We'd be a lot more conspicuous if we tried to sneak in. Right now, we're just another ship."

"Can't use a motor, though." Exel noted. "Not many have running ones in this city."

I nodded, watching some youths paddle past in a glowing canoe. We rowed past a larger building, which rose some three stories above the water. Through broken glass windows I saw what looked like plants. Growing inside the building.

Fruit glowed a soft yellow-green, and studded the plants. Their leaves had the same painted look as the petals we'd found on Sourcefield. "What in Calamity is going _on _in this city?" I whispered.

"We have no idea," Val said. "I've been embedded here for over two years- I arrived about 6 months after Regalia stopped her tyranny and decided to clean the place up." As she indicated earlier, Val didn't seem to mind saying Regalia's name as long as it was in a whispered conversation.

"I feel like I know less then when I first came." Val continued. "Yes, plants grow inside the buildings, and seem to need no cultivation, no sunlamps, no human attention at all. The trees produce flowers, fruits, and vegetables in plenty, enough that no one here is hurting for food- so long that the gang cartels haven't monopolized everything."

"Regalia stopped that," Mizzy whispered. "Things were pretty bad for us until she came."

"For 'us'?" I asked.

"I'm from Manhattan," Mizzy said. "Born and raised. I don't remember a whole lot of the early days, but I do remember Calamity. The glows came immediately afterward; anything spraypainted- old or new- started glowing. Only spraypaint works though. The plants started growing at the same time- they grew in the streets back then- and nobody has a good explanation, except to credit Dawnslight."

"An epic?" I asked.  
"Maybe?" Mizzy said, shrugging. "Some think so. Dawnslight is what they call the person, force, Epic, or whatever causes all this. Except the waters, of course. Those came after, when Regalia arrived. Sweeping the streets, flooding buildings. We lost a lot of people then."

"She killed thousands," Prof continued, voice low. "Then she let the gangs rule for years. It was only recently that she decided to rescue the city. Even now she controls the gangs, though they don't terrorize. They watch."

"Yeah," Val said, looking at a group of people dancing on top of a building. Drums banged to a pleasant rhythm. "It's creepy."

"Creepy?" Exel said. "I'd say what's happening here is _wonderful._" He waved affably to some of the people we passed.

"No, Exel." Prof said over the line. "Regalia is planning something. Her supposed benevolence worries me, particularly since she's been sending Epics to try and eliminate my team in Newcago. Don't forget that she employs the… person who killed Sam."

Val, Exel, and Mizzy looked to him.

"So is that why you're here? To bring down Regalia?" Val asked softly.

I looked to Prof. He knew Regalia. Personally. I was increasingly sure of it. They'd been friends, perhaps, long ago. I wished I could get more out of him, but this was how Prof was. Years of secrecy, of running the Reckoners, had taught him to be circumspect.

Something exploded on a nearby rooftop.

A blossom of fire lit the air, bringing with it screams of terror and pain. People splashed into the waters around us and another explosion followed.

I listened to the distant moans of pain, and looked sharply at the team. "We need to do something." Exel, Val, and Mizzy all looked equally surprised. Whatever this was, it wasn't normal for Babilar.

"We should go help." I said.

"This isn't Newcago," Tia said. "Didn't you listen to Jon? We need to remain hidden."

Behind us, another explosion sounded. I could actually feel the blast wave of this one. I hardened my expression and stepped to the side of the boat. I couldn't let these people die.

"Tia, David is right." Prof finally said over our lines. "We can't let this continue, whatever it is, without seeing if we can help. We'll investigate, but carefully. Val, do people go about armed in the city?"

"It's not unheard of." Val replied.

"Then we can carry. But don't do anything unless I say. Sit down, David. We need you on your oar."

Reluctantly, I sat down and silently willed the water to carry us faster. How I knew I could do that made me wonder, but worry didn't even cross my mind. Using the power felt good. **(Ugh this is hard to write.)** Above us people rushed across bridges, fleeing the explosions, and crowding each other in their haste. The rooftop we reached was low enough for me to grab on to, and I hardened the air beneath me to help. I hopped up onto the roof.

Here I could see the scene better. I was on the roof of a large apartment building that had a sister building on the other side. They were shaped the same way with only a small gap of water beneath them. The other rooftop was where the explosions had happened; it was littered with half burned tents. The living knelt beside charred loved ones. Others groaned in pain, covered in burns. I felt sick.

Prof heaved himself up beside me, the hissed in anger. "Three explosions," He said softly. "What's going on?"

"We have to help." I felt angry, and a pressure built in my chest.

Prof knelt silently for a moment.

"Prof…"

"Tia, Exel." He whispered over the line. "Prepare to help the wounded. Take the boat over. Val, David and I will cross the rooftop and give you support from here. Something isn't right here- too much burning, not enough debris. This wasn't caused by a bomb."

I nodded. Val climbed up too, then the three of us ran across the rooftop to the burning one. Tia and the other two maneuvered the boat through the water alongside us.

Prof stopped Val and me beside the rope bridge leading to the next building. People pushed past us, faces ashen and clothes singed.

Prof pointed for me to provide fire support, and I knelt down beside a brick chimney, rifle out, covering Tia and Exel as they moved the boat up next to the burning building, then climbed out and onto it, carrying a pack I assumed had a first-aid kit in it.

"What about me?" Mizzy asked over the line. The young woman still waited in the boat, which rocked in the dark water near the side of the burning building. "Prof, sir?"

"Watch the boat." He said over the line.

"I…" Mizzy looked deflated. "Yes sir."

"Ah, here you are. Jonathan. Very prompt of you." The voice, spoken in a business-like tone made me jump almost to the stars. I spun at the sound, leveling my rifle.

An older black woman stood beside Prof. Wrinkled skin, white hair in a bun. Scarf at the neck, fashionable- yet somewhat grandmotherly- what jacket over a blouse and slacks. Regalia, empress of Manhattan. Standing _right there._ I let my instincts take over.

A plume of fire crashed into her head.

**So, was that ok? Yes, he can control the 4 elements. He has another power that is amazing if you ask me… The next chapter should be up by Tuesday, maybe Wednesday depending on the length. Follow, favorite, and review!**

_Advice from Reckoners: Telling a lie can sometimes save a friend from trouble; but that doesn't mean to do it all the time._


	5. AN- sorry lol

This story... I have no excuse, really. XD

You see, I was hit by a gigantic case of writer's block.

But now, I have read Firefight again, so I will try to update again, soon. Try.

It won't be long, but I will try. Thanks for being so patient. (Especially because it's my birthday 7/24)


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